As for things getting better/worse. Well my personal impression is better. At least the little piece of the puzzle that I see has improved. Of course I cannot speak for others, but it would appear that people are finding that they can talk about and resolve their issues. If being married for over a decade has taught me anything it is that as long as channels of communication remain open, you are in pretty good shape. (-: The other thing I have learned is how important it is to work on keeping those channels open and in use! :-)

This is, of course, only my personal impression. And, of course, I am not claiming that things are perfect. But I don't think you should be overly concerned at this point.